73% of consumers expect to see small businesses on Facebook

Recent research highlights the importance of Facebook to small businesses. It found that social media carries just as much influence over purchase intent, if not more, than other forms of marketing such as SEO, PPC and mobile marketing, for small and medium-sized businesses.

A survey of more than 1,000 Facebook users in the U.S. by G/O Digital has confirmed that small businesses that fail to integrate the social network into their marketing plans are taking a big risk.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of survey respondents said Facebook is the most important social media platform where they expect to see a local business. Just 3% cited Twitter, 2% LinkedIn and less than 1% Instagram.

Discounted offers on Facebook were the single biggest trigger driving website visits, cited by 51%, and more than half (54%) said discounted offers motivated them to call a business or book an appointment.

Facebook content was also found to drive offline activity. Promotions and coupons would motivate 60% to head to a store as would testimonials (13%) and photos and video content (6%).

"The road to success on Facebook is not an easy one and requires a well thought-out plan that balances both quality content and targeted advertising," says Raghav Mathur, Vice President of Strategy & Business Development, G/O Digital. "That's why building a strategy grounded in a customer-centric approach and long-term ROI - not a singular campaign - is key in positioning businesses to grow, compete and thrive, year after year."

Other key findings include:

- 21% said they were "more likely to regularly check out products, prices and sales from the business - both online and in-store," after interacting with Facebook pages;

- 14% were more likely to seek out small businesses they came across on Facebook while shopping online;

- 58% expected to hear back from businesses within one day after contacting them on Facebook.